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This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Danger waits on both sides of the grave.

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones have fought for their lives, as well as for their relationship. But just when they’ve triumphed over the latest battle, Cat’s new and unexpected abilities threaten to upset a long-standing balance . . .

With the mysterious disappearance of vampires, rumors abound that a species war is brewing. A zealot is inciting tensions between the vampires and ghouls, and if these two powerful groups clash, innocent mortals could become collateral damage. Now Cat and Bones are forced to seek help from a dangerous “ally”—the ghoul queen of New Orleans herself. But the price of her assistance may prove more treacherous than even the threat of a supernatural war . . . to say nothing of the repercussions Cat never imagined.

Cat and Bones… enough said? I just can’t get enough of this couple. Just when you think that they can’t get any closer or any more devoted to each other, they surprise you. Along with everyone else in the series. In each book another layer is revealed and it just brings the reader that much closer to these great characters.

One of the great things about Cat and Bones is that they are continuing to not only grow in their relationship, but they are also growing in respect to their powers. Bones’ new powers come from his ‘gift’ from Mencheres and Cat’s comes from her ‘special diet.’ The fun comes in because neither of them know quite what to expect. Okay, so it’s not always fun, but eventually it gets there. As usual though, Cat and Bones are only part of the story. Where would we be without the rest of the family?

Mencheres used to be one of my least favorite characters. My how things change. I love how Mencheres has turned into an almost entirely new character than when we first met him. I don’t know why, but I always pictured him as ‘old.’ I think it was because of the fear he projected and respect that was demanded because of that fear. Not that he doesn’t demand respect now just because of his power and presence, but because he has found love he seems more reachable now. It’s a nice change.

Then there is Spade. I thought when I read Spade’s book that he and Denise made the perfect couple. That opinion doesn’t change in This Side of the Grave. It’s going to be fun to see this relationship grows.

Vlad has turned into one of my favorite side characters. I had originally thought that he was going to be featured in one of Frost’s Night Huntress World books, but thanks to Amanda @ On A Book Bender, I have been corrected. Turns out Vlad will have an entire series dedicated to just him. *sigh* That’s a very good thing in my opinion. There isn’t much info on Frost’s site, but the series will be titled Night Prince. It will be interesting to see how this snarky, independent vamp gets tamed. In each of the Night Huntress books since his introduction a little bit of his shell gets peeled away. His sense of humor is a great addition and the loyalty he has for his friends, especially Mencheres is admirable.

Oh Ian. I never would have thought that I would miss his presence in any of the books. He’s kind of growing on me though. He only made a short appearance in This Side of the Grave. I think he only had one line in the whole book. It was a memorable one though. Pure Ian! ;)

Along with all the heat and danger that is always a part of Cat and Bones’ existence, there is also a lot of pain in this one. I really don’t like tears in the midst of my Cat and Bones reading, but sometimes it just can’t be helped. I guess you could say that this one ends in somewhat of a cliff hanger. At least I have One Grave at a Time handy. I don’t think I’ll be reading it right away though. It’s the last in both series until next year so I think I’m going to hold on to it for just a little while longer.

As a side note: I know that some readers have been frustrated by the fact that The Night Huntress World books are so intertwined with the plots of the Night Huntress books. Jeaniene Frost has a list of the suggested order that the books can be read in here. I followed the order of the list and I’m glad that I did. I probably would have been a little confused about Mencheres’ and Spade’s current situation if I hadn’t. I’m glad that the books are split into two different series though. Those of us who follow Cat and Bones are used to having them front and center. The relationships that are built in the Night Huntress World books deserve their own story and not just a side story within the Night Huntress series. I’ll continue to read them in the order that is suggested and just be glad that there are more of them to read.;)

I have no idea where the original announcement is, but Jeaniene Frost has talked about the name of the series, the title of the first book in the series, and the possible release date of the first book on her blog.

I can’t believe I still haven’t read this. It’s sitting there, begging for some attention. Ugh. Vlad has been my favorite character since his first seen, and I DIED when JF announced his own book series. I mean, I will be in Vlad coma, for sure. ♥